Santa Clara County Sustainability Articles

Zoning laws that restrict new housing development cause environmental damage, racial and class segregation, and force people into cars creating traffic. Now, a new movement wants to abolish zoning in the United States.

Local water district officials on June 13 adopted new permanent water use restrictions, as well as a process to enforce them even during non-drought periods. The Valley Water board of directors unanimously approved a resolution “declaring that water conservation must …

Human-caused climate change may be playing a significant role in fueling the surge of devastating wildfires in California, according to a new study from a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist and other collaborators. The research, published in the Proceedings of …

Morgan Hill and other cities increasingly make use of high-tech machinery and equipment, operated by specially trained staff, to keep faucets running, toilets flushing, streets paved safely and roadsides maintained throughout the community. These operations were on display for everyone …

Renewable energy sources provided 37 percent of California electricity in 2021, a new record for the state as it moves toward its 2045 goal of 100 percent clean energy. Battery storage will play a huge role in reaching that goal.

At Santa Clara University, I scan the campus grounds for what a friend describes via text as “a little faux telephone booth.” The wind telephone is a death-themed art installation. Inside the closet-like structure, there’s an antique rotary phone in …

What if the moment a car—or an iPhone, or a couch—left the lot it increased in value, rather than decreased? What if plastic forks were things of the past? Fifteen-year-old Cupertino resident Aaryan Doshi and the city of Cupertino think …

The future of farming in California is changing as the planet warms, altering the rain and heat patterns that guide which crops are grown where. “We’re adjusting for survival,” one grower said.

Santa Clara County is reminding residents about a six-month-old website where people can report illegal dumping. The site, www.cleanupscc.org, was launched last November using a $2 million grant from CalRecycle, the state agency that oversees waste management and recycling. Since …

Silicon Valley Clean Energy recently awarded the City of Morgan Hill with two grants that will help the city reach its climate cleanliness goals, according to city staff. The City of Morgan Hill adopted a Climate Action Plan (CAP) in …

A sizeable coalition has called for California's water regulator to take emergency measures to protect Mono Lake and suspend diversions to Los Angeles.

When warm storms melt snowpack early, reservoir managers must release water to prevent flooding—which sends this precious resource into the ocean.

What makes Gilroy strong is our community. With 59,520 people calling Gilroy home, our community is made up of families, neighbors, businesses, schools, service organizations, parks and more. However, there is one member of our community that may surprise you—our …

Reid-Hillview and San Martin airports are participating in an FAA project to study best practices for transitioning airports nationwide to unleaded aviation fuel.

Don’t just be a spectator in the fight against climate change. Here are some small steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint.

California is a leading producer of agricultural crops. So it’s not surprising to find cutting-edge ideas taking root here.

A $30 million incentive project is underway to help businesses, nonprofits, public agencies and tribes fund the installation of electric vehicle chargers in disadvantaged and low-income communities across the state. Santa Clara is on the list of 30 counties where …

Consumers may not know it, but their cellphones and laptops – if improperly disposed of – could become an incendiary device. Ditto that for anything with a rechargeable battery, like a toothbrush, drill, or any number of now-common household appliances

A few months back, neighbors Maggie Contro, an 8-year-old third-grader at Daves Avenue Elementary, and Arlo Britz, a 7-year-old boy a grade below, were sweeping her home’s porch, when they realized they were doing something worth scaling. Contro had been …

For the second month in a row, Santa Clara County exceeded conservation goals set by the Santa Clara Valley Water District and by Gov. Gavin Newsom, reducing water use by 16% compared to 2019. The recommended target was 15%. “It’s …